Overview

As a residential college, Keene State College considers the experience of living on campus to be an extension of the learning experience of college that is just as important as lessons learned in the classroom.

As a residential college, we consider the experience of living on-campus to be a valuable developmental tool designed to enhance the mission of the College by helping students develop critical thinking and communication skills along with a heightened appreciation for diversity and service learning. All residential students are expected to actively participate in and support the programs and procedures employed by residential staff to achieve that end.

Visitation

Students are responsible for the actions of their guests while the guests are on campus. Guests are subject to all rules of the campus community as outlined in the Student Handbook. Hosts are billed for damages or fines as a result of a guest’s behavior and may be referred for disciplinary action. Residence staff may remove a guest from campus immediately for disruption of the community, infringement of rules and regulations, harassment of staff, or other safety or community concern.

Definitions

Visitor: A current Keene State student.

Guest: A guest is anyone who is not a KSC student. Guests must be invited into the hall by their host and must be accompanied by their host at all times while on campus.

Regardless of the size, no more than 20 people (residents, guests, visitors) can be present in any room, suite or apartment at any given time. Total numbers of people in a room at any given time may also be restricted further based on the existing local, state, and federal fire regulations.

Visitors: Visitors may stay overnight in another resident’s room. While they do not need a guest pass, permission from all residents of the room/suite is required.

Guests: A resident is allowed no more than a total of one guest at any one time. Students with guests are expected to complete and submit the Student Guest Registration Form for all guests who will be in the building between 8pm and 8am the following day.

All guests are expected to show a form of ID that provides: full name, photo, and date of birth.
If a student wishes to register a guest under the age of 18, the host resident should make arrangements with the area’s Residence Director prior to the guest’s arrival.

Frequency: Overnight guests or visitors may not stay in a residence hall room for more than two consecutive nights and no more than four nights during any month without the permission of the Residence Director.

During all 24-hour Quiet Hour periods, guests are not permitted except for the purpose of assisting a resident in moving out at the end of the semester.

Violating the Guest Policy

More than 20 people in a room/suite/apartment:

More than 20 people creates a 10:1 ratio of people to staff, which is considered overwhelming for staff

Eligibility

Only full-time Keene State Students who are in good academic standing, have met all housing deposit deadlines and have fulfilled all financial obligations to the College are eligible to live in College owned residence halls. All residential students must agree to abide by all terms and conditions contained in the Residence Hall Contract.

Availability

The Office of Residential Life and Housing Services offers a variety of living accommodations available to full-time students on a space available basis. Please note that first-year and sophomore students are required to live on campus.
For new students, priority for assignments is given according to the date that the enrollment services fee is credited, while returning residential students choose their rooms through the Housing Selection Process held each spring.

Contract Duration

The Residence Hall Contract is binding for the entire academic year. Applicants must accept their room assignments for both fall and spring semesters. All resident students (with the exception of residents of Pondside 2 Apartments) are required to be on a Platinum Meal Plan as a condition of residency. The board program is binding for the entire academic year.

Termination of Contract

The College may terminate this contract for health reasons, for failure of the student to contract for or continue on the board plan without authorization, for failure to pay room and board costs, or for violations of published College rules. A resident whose contract is terminated will be expected to vacate the residence hall immediately and may be held responsible for fulfilling all financial obligations of the contract. This contract may not be transferred or assigned to any other person.

Contract Release

Residents may request release from the Residence Hall Contract. Releases are subject to the approval of the Director of Residential Life and Housing Services or his or her designee. Such releases will only be considered for the following reasons:

Non-admission, withdrawal, transfer, or dismissal from the College. Students who wish to take a leave of absence or withdraw form college must contact the Dean of Students Office.

Reducing course load from full-time to part-time does not constitute grounds for release from the contract. Documentation for all releases will be required by the Director of Residential Life and Housing Services or his or her designee.

Returning Student Housing Deposit

A nonrefundable deposit of $300 must be submitted with the application/contract form by the specified deadline before any room assignment can be made. This deposit will be credited toward the spring housing bill. This deposit will be refunded only if housing is not available, if the student graduates or studies abroad, or if he or she is student-teaching beyond a 30-mile commute from the College. Housing selection guidelines are available during the spring semester.

Damage

A deposit of $100 shall be made by each student living in College housing as an indemnification against any damage to any residence hall property or facilities. This deposit must be paid prior to the student’s residence in College housing. Failure of a student to pay for any damage to or loss of any residence hall property or facilities will prevent the student’s registration.

Refund of any remaining deposit will be made after the final semester of a student’s stay on campus. Students will receive the balance of the refund when they leave campus housing only if there are no outstanding bills owed to the College.

Residence Hall Damages

Individual Room Damages
Damages to student rooms are the responsibility of the occupants. In order to prevent misinterpretation, it is strongly recommended that students inspect their rooms thoroughly with their Resident Assistant upon moving in, noting any issues/repairs that need to be made.

Common Area Damages
Common area damages are charged to the student deemed to be responsible for the damage. In cases where responsibility for the damage cannot be determined all residents of the damaged area will divide the cost of repairs evenly.

Please Note: Common area damage charges are assessed each month and added to students’ accounts as appropriate. Individual damage charges are assessed at the end of the academic year or when a student checks out of a room. Common area damage charges cannot be appealed. Individual damage charges can be appealed and must be done so within ten days of the charges being placed on a student’s account. Appeals need to be emailed to the Residence Director of the area in which the student lived.

Lost Keys/Combo/Lock Changes

When a room key is reported as lost, stolen, or duplicated, the lock will be changed with the student responsible for the loss being charged for the cost of the change, including the new keys or combination.

Keys, locks, and doors are essential components for the safety and security of students and their belongings. External and internal doors in all residence facilities should never be propped or tampered with. Safety and security is the responsibility of all students. Please refer to the Code of Conduct for further elaboration of the College policies regarding misuse of or tampering with keys and locks.

If a student requests a change in his or her combination lock, the student(s) will be billed for a combination change. Residents who are locked out of their rooms three or more times per year will be subject to disciplinary action. Students are strongly encouraged not to give out their combination or loan their keys to others, as this creates a potential security problem.

All residence hall keys and ID cards are the sole property of Keene State College and may not be duplicated except by the College.

Work Orders

Students who need to have repairs made in their individual bedroom, common room or other common space must notify either their RA or Residence Director as to the specific nature of the problem (such as overhead light not working, radiator leaking on right side of room, etc). The staff member will then notify the appropriate trade to get the work done. If the repair is not made within three business days the student should contact their Residence Director.

Loss of Student Property

The College does not assume any liability for loss, damage, or injury resulting from theft, explosion, fire, mechanical failure of either gas or water lines, loss of electricity, defective wiring, or negligence of any occupant of the building. It is strongly urged that students purchase appropriate insurance policies to protect themselves from loss or damage to personal possessions.

Occupancy

Assigned rooms may be occupied the day before the first day of classes for each semester. Special arrangements for the early arrival of any student must be approved in advance by the Office of Residential Life and Housing Services.

Living accommodations in the residence halls are not available during times when the College is not in session, e.g., Thanksgiving, midyear recess, and spring recess, except as special arrangements may be made for student teachers and athletes.

Students are expected to comply with all closing instructions that will be provided to them before each of the hall closings listed above. Failure to comply with these instructions will be addressed through the College’s conduct system.

Rooms paid for and not occupied one day after registration day may be declared vacant by the Associate Dean of Students, unless the individual having the assignment makes a written request to the Residential Life and Housing Services Office to hold the room until a later date.

The Residential Life and Housing Services Office reserves the right to:

change room assignments at any time with a specific rationale provided to the resident(s) involved

consolidate vacancies

use rooms over holiday periods, provided prior notice is given to each resident involved

control the rooms in event of an epidemic

change the gender designation of a hall, house, or floor, and provide space to accommodate the needs of special interest program groups

change room assignments for health, safety, or repair service, for disciplinary reasons caused by the residents, for ongoing community concerns, or for irreconcilable differences between roommates.

Room Changes

Requests for room changes will not be honored during the first two weeks of a semester except under rare extenuating circumstances. All room changes must be discussed with the Resident Assistant and/or the Residence Director. Students cannot change rooms without the advanced approval of the Residence Director(s) of the hall(s) involved or the Assistant Director of Residential Life for Housing Operations.

Room Charges

A bill for the room and board charges will be sent to the student; charges will be payable prior to the beginning of each semester. Room assignments may be canceled by the College if the charge is not paid by the stipulated due date, or alternate arrangements for payment of bill have not been approved by the Bursar.

Refunds

Withdrawal 75 percent of the room rent will be returned to any student withdrawing from the College within seven days following the first day of classes; 50 percent after seven calendar days but within 30 days of the first day of classes; and no refund after 30 days.

Prorated rebates will be given on the unused portion of the board contract, less one week.

Dismissal No room refund will be made to any student who is dismissed from the College for any reason, or who is mandated to leave the residence halls for disciplinary reasons.

Room Entry/Search

The Residential Life and Housing Services Office reserves the right to:

enter rooms to inspect for and correct or remove hazards to health or safety, or to carry out necessary maintenance work

search a room, but only with the permission of the Vice President for Student Affairs or his or her designee.

As appropriate, College officials may contact law enforcement authorities who may seek search warrants to search student rooms.